Margaret Avison (1918–2007)

Reading Avison is meditation.

From 1960s Winter Sun right through these last poems, Avison understood the world and conveyed its meaning in a language far more powerful than mere prose. These poems bypass intellect (although there's plenty to think about) and connect with the soul.

Avison had a knack for finding beauty in the city. Maybe it's because I've lived in and around her city—Toronto—that I respect her so much. She writes about trees in the city, for example ("Ever Greens"), and show more they cease to become so much stunted city-ornamentation. They are transfigured in her presence: they are seen for the creation they are.

She knew the Creator, and his Word empowered hers. show less

This is the final volume of Avison's collection, although two more individual works followed (Momentary Dark and Listening), one before and one following her death in July, 2007. This final volume contains her most mature poetry—her best work.

I loved the increased biblical imagery and themes in these works. It was particularly interesting to read her take on Job ("Job: Word and Action") from Not Yet But Still. There are many moments in these poems that make a believer pause to meditate.

I show more found these later poems easier to understand. The obscure vocabulary that riddled her early works has been traded in for more common terms that still find renewed meaning when she places them in lines.

On one hand, it's sad to know I've read that last of Avison. Thankfully, she's left a canon that can be reread and revisited for years. show less

The Essential Margaret Avison was an enlightening introduction into the works of a brilliant poet. A must read for any poetry fan.

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This wonderful poet is discussed at LH at http://www.languagehat.com/archives/002326.php